Masi Oka to return as Hiro in “Heroes: Reborn” in guest starring arc

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. — March 27, 2015 — Masi Oka (NBC’s “Heroes,” “Hawaii Five-0”) will reprise his Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated role as Hiro Nakamura for a guest-starring arc of episodes on NBC’s new event series “Heroes Reborn,” which will premiere in fall 2015.

“I’m excited to return to my ‘Heroes’ roots,” said Oka. “Hiro Nakamura was such an inspirational role to play, and I’m hoping the fans will enjoy seeing him back on TV.”

“We are thrilled to have Masi back in the ‘Heroes’ family,” said creator/executive producer Tim Kring. “The character of Hiro Nakamura was such a huge part of the first series’ success, and a gigantic fan favorite. We felt the fans would really love seeing him back in action again.”

Oka can currently be seen in the role of the eccentric Coroner on the hit series “Hawaii Five-0.” He has also recurred on NBC’s “Scrubs” and Fox’s “Luis” and guest-starred on “Without a Trace,” “Joey,” “Reba,” “Still Standing,” “Will & Grace,” “Yes, Dear” and “The Gilmore Girls.” Oka recently appeared in the feature film “JOBS” and is stepping behind the camera on the feature-film adaption of the worldwide phenomenon Japanese Anime “Deathnote,” which he will produce with VIZ Productions, Dan Lin, and Roy Lee. He starred in the feature-film remake “Get Smart” and its companion DVD release, “Get Smarter.” His other feature film credits include “Along Came Polly,” “Austin Powers in Goldmember,” and “Friends with Benefits.”

With a background in improvisation, Oka has appeared at the Groundlings, ImprovOlympics, Second City and guest starred as various characters on “Punk’d,” “Reno 911” and “The Jamie Kennedy Experiment.” He is working with Yoshimoto to bring the famed Second City to Japan and thereby introducing American improv to that market. Oka also works behind the scenes as an advisor to JETRO and a cultural envoy to the U.S. Embassy, bridging the gap between Japan and Hollywood in the arts and business. After graduating Brown University with degrees in Mathematics and Computer Science and a Theatre Arts minor, Oka pursued an acting career while taking his first job at George Lucas’ Oscar-winning special effects house Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) providing technology for groundbreaking effects for more than 30 films. Oka’s strong background in computer science laid the groundwork for his starting Mobius Digital, a gaming company that has successfully launched several apps with more in development. He sits on the Celebrity Cabinet of the American Red Cross. Oka was born in Tokyo, Japan, and moved to Los Angeles at age six, where he currently resides.

Produced by Imperative Entertainment, in association with Universal Television, “Heroes Reborn” will air in fall 2015 on NBC. NBC’s digital platforms, as well as Hulu and video-on-demand, will debut an online prequel to the series prior to the show’s premiere. Joining Kring are executive producers James Middleton and Peter Elkoff.